USA
The executive who headed Arthur Andersen LLP's audit of Enron Corp. has reached a deal to plead guilty to obstruction of justice and serve as a government witness, sources close to the case said Tuesday. David Duncan was expected to enter his plea in the US District Court in Houston Tuesday afternoon. As part of the plea deal, Duncan, who was fired by Andersen in January, reportedly will cooperate with the Justice Department's investigation into the collapse of the energy giant, the largest bankruptcy filing in US history.
The Archdiocese of Boston knew of sexual misconduct allegations against one of its priests and that he had spoken in favor of sex between men and boys, but still allowed him access to children in different parishes for three decades. That's according to documents released Monday by the attorney of a man who accuses the Rev. Paul Shanley of rape. The documents show church officials knew of sexual misconduct allegations against Shanley since at least 1967 and of his opinions on sex as early as 1977.
On his 15th fundraising trip of the year, President Bush traveled Tuesday to Connecticut, where a closely matched race is taking shape ahead of the November elections. On a visit to Old Greenwich, the president planned to help Republican Reps. Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons. Bush was also due to travel to Bridgeport, where he would renew his call for volunteerism.
Several people were indicted on accusations of "material support of a terrorism organization," the US attorney's office said Tuesday. Details of the indictment were not yet available as The Monitor went to press. Attorney General Ashcroft was expected to discuss the case at an afternoon news conference.
The Monitor's Clay Bennett won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning the paper's seventh Pulitzer. The award, announced Monday in New York, recognizes a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect. This year's Pultizers were dominated by the New York Times, which won seven. (See story, page 12.)
Shuttle Atlantis was in orbit on its way to the International Space Station Tuesday, after a dramatic launch the day before. After stiff winds threatened to yet again delay the shuttle's launch, a last-minute computer glitch in the firing room almost caused a delay. Controllers, however, reloaded the needed software and sent Atlantis on its way with just seconds to spare at the end of a five-minute launch window. Below, in an image from television, the astronauts prepare for launch.
